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Just pulled the motor for rebuild. The clutch I had installed at a local shop was nothing but problems when I got it back and here is what I found with about 600 miles on it.
This is what's left of the pilot bearing. Its a ram clutch and new pressure plate. Any ideas what may have caused this aside from improper installation?
This is a photo of the rear of the crank and what remains of the pilot bearing.
When in use the clutch did not feel like it was adjusted properly and upon taking out the motor we found the shift rods were not adjusted properly. These would help explain the difficulty of getting into gear and popping out of gear(a problem I did not have before getting a new clutch) but should not cause pilot bearing failure. Has anyone used or have comments of roller pilot bearing vs brass solid brass?
Last edited by EarlyC34me; Apr 8, 2018 at 09:17 AM.
Thirty years ago those pilot bearings were the hot setup to replace the stock bushing. They were originally used in diesels and someone figured out they would work in our small blocks and big blocks. Unfortunately since then the quality of the bearings we are getting has become extremely suspect, presumable because they are being source offshore. Nowadays, most guys seem to be going back to bushings since they seem to be more reliable. Can't say for sure that is why yours failed, especially considering the difficulties you have experienced since the clutch was changed, but keep it in mind as you put it back together.
Get a oilite bushing from AutoGear and move on with confidence.
That bearing could have been a result of bellhousing not dialed in.
Pilot bearings aren't very forgiving of bellhousings that are out.
Check input shaft on tranny for evidence of trashed bearing chewing up the shaft.
Get a oilite bushing from AutoGear and move on with confidence.
That bearing could have been a result of bellhousing not dialed in.
Pilot bearings aren't very forgiving of bellhousings that are out.
Check input shaft on tranny for evidence of trashed bearing chewing up the shaft.
Input shaft looks fine surprisingly. Thanks and yes I plan on going back to the bushing.
The clutch that is in it is a ram clutch. Would you guys stick with it? The motor (doing a complete rebuild stock lt-1 with 1970 pop up pistons .030 over) and trans are out so this is my second chance if it was not a good choice?
Last edited by EarlyC34me; Apr 8, 2018 at 07:16 PM.
You dial in a bellhousing by mounting a dial indicator to the flywheel and rotating the engine to ensure the opening in the bell housing is perfectly centered. (Actually anything less than .005" is OK.) Its not as critical with Muncie and Borg Warner transmissions. Their roller bearings on the input shaft are more forgiving that the tapered bearings on the Tremecs.
If you are rebuilding the engine and it is align honed, you will definitely change the alignment of your bellhousing. Measure both cocentricity, as shown nicely above, and parallel as well. Well worth the effort on even the oem stuff, especially now with the engine out of the car. Good luck with the rebuild. And ask for Nate when you call AutoGear. He is a very helpful presence on many forums and a really great guy. Tell him that guy from the corvette forum told you to call lol!
Also, read this thread by Lars. This is a problem I ran into on my car but couldn’t figure out what my problem was. This was it. Never knew this was a problem in our Corvettes. An important read for clutch choice!
Just wanted to follow up. I called autogear and the guys there were fantastic! They referred me to a vender/dealer Muncie builder local to me. He rebuilt the transmission for a very reasonable price. He also informed me the 3/4 slider had been previously upgraded to a t-10 slider and he added a hook slider to 1/2. He did everything in a couple of days.
Trans & clutch advice
